Rotary engine.



Patented Dec. 25, |966;

2 Sheets-Sheet I.

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L. LEGENDRE.

ROTARY ENGINE.

(Application led May 7, 1900.)

(IVIO Model.)

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Patented D66. 25, |900. L. LEGENDRE.

ROTARY ENGINE.

(Application 51nd Illy 7, 1900.)

ilnrrnn STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LOUIS LEGENDRE, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

ROTARY ENGINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 664,765, dated December 25, 1900. Application ined May 7,1900. serial No. 15,771. No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, Louis LEe-ENDRE, a citizen of the Republic of France, residing at 46 Valcot Square, London, England, have invented new and useful Improvements in Rotary Engines or Motors, of which the following is a speciiication.

This invention relates to rotary engines or motors.

ln carrying out my invention I provide power-chambers of different areas having a common driving-shaft passing therethrough provided with radial pistons. These pistons are formed on disks iixed on the drivingshaft, and in order that the steam or other expansive duid may have an abutment in one direction while operating upon a piston in the opposite direction I provide other disks designed to rotate in the same chambers upon shafts parallel with the main driving-shaft, the said disks being provided with gear-teeth engaging similar teeth on the piston-disks and with recesses with which the pistons engage as they rotate. Suitable ports and valves may be provided whereby the direction of motion of the pistons, and consequently that of the driving-shaft, can be reversed.

To enable my invention to be fully understood, l will describe it by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a sectionalfront elevation of a compound rotary engine constructed according to my invention and provided with two power chambers or cylinders. Fig. 2 is a plan thereof. Fig. 8 is a transverse vertical section on the line 3 8, Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a horizontal section on the line 4 4, Fig. l. Fig. 5 is a longitudinal vertical section on the line 5 5, Fig. 2. Fig. 6 is a longitudinal vertical section on the line 6 6, Fig. 2.

d l) are the power-chambers, and cc' c2 and CZ d d2 are the respective pistons therein on disks ef on the common driving-shaft g, supported in bearings g' g' at the outer ends of the said chambers and in a bearing g2 in a partition g3 between the chambers. The steam or other expansive fluid is first used in the chamber a, and then exhausted into and expanded within the chamber b, the working space and the pistons of which are of greater area than those of the said chamber c. The pistons on each disk are advantageously threein number,for the purposehereinafter described.

7L t' are disks forming the abutments for the pistons c d, respectively, the saidv disks being upon shafts jj, parallel with the drivingshaft g and on opposite sides of the said shaft.

l Z are gear-teeth on the disks h z', engaging similar teeth l Z on the disks cf, and m m are recesses in the said disks h 7l for the reception of the pistons c d.

In the drawings each abutment-disk is represented as being provided with three recesses m m. It will be obvious, however, that a greater number may be employed, the diameterof the said disks being correspondingly increased.

n n are ports for the admission of the motive iiuidi'rom an inlet-pipe no to the chamber a, and o o and p p', respectively, ports for exhausting the motive fluid from the said chamber to the chamber b and from thelatter to the open air through a pipe p0. By the described construction, assuming the pistons to be in the position indicated in Fig. 3, it will be seen that if the motive fluid-say steambe admitted through the ports n n into thev chamber c it will exert pressure on the pistons c and o', so as to rotate the shaft g in the direction of the arrows, Fig. 3, the piston c2, which is in engagement with a recess m in one of the disks h, being inoperative 'for the time being. The piston c in its movement will then pass over the port o and allow the steam which has been impelling it to pass through the said port into the low-pressure chamber b behind the piston d, which it actuates in the manner above described. At the same time Ythe piston c2 will move outof engagement with piston c2 will then pass over the port o and admit steam behind the piston d2, each piston o c c2 in turn being impelled by the steam and exhausting behind the corresponding pis- ICO ton in the chamber b. A similar action to that described with reference to the exhausting of the steam takes place in the chamber b-that is to say, each piston d, (Z, and (Fin turn passes over one of the ports pp and allows the steam to pass into the open air. By the arrangement of three pistons in each chamber and of two inlet and two exhaust ports in connection with each piston-disk it will be seen that there is always a pressure of sl earn on opposite sides of the driving-shaft.

Although I have described an engine or motor providedwith but two power-chambers, I can employ more than two, so as to more fully expand the motive uid than would otherwise be the case, and thus more efficiently utilize its energy.

In order that my improved engine or motor may be rendered reversible, I provide valves q q' r 'r' s s', in connection, respectively, with the ports n n o op p', and I also provide additional ports n2 n3 for the admission of the motive fluid to the chamber a, ports 02 03 for exhausting the motive iiuid from the said chamber to the chamber b, and ports ppg for exhausting the motive fluid from the said chamber b into the open air. The valves q q r o" s s are advantageously cylindrical, with an S-shaped port formed in them, so that by rotating them through one hundred and eighty degrees they will ad mit the motive fluid to act upon the opposite sides of the pistons to those previously acted upon andso drive the shaft gin the opposite direction. For instance, assume the valves to be in the position shown in Figs. 5 and G, so as to admit the motive fiuid to move the pistons in the direc- 5' tion of the arrows, Fig. 3, as hereinbefore described. If now the valves be turned through one hundred and eighty degrees, the motive fluid instead of passing through the ports 'a n 0 o p p will pass through the ports 07,2723 02o3 132233 and so act upon the sides of the pistons opposite to those acted upon by the motive `duid when passing through the ports n n o o p p'.

For simultaneously operating the valves I may provide the valves with stems carrying gear-wheelstt, engaged by racks un, designed to be actuated by hand to rotate the valves by means of the bell-crank levers c o, connected together by the rod w. a; a: are antifrictionrollers for supporting, guiding, and keeping the racks in gear with the wheels z5 t.

It is t0 be understood that in practice the shaft to be driven is coupled to the drivingshaft. Also, if desired, the engine may be supported upon the shaft to be driven in such a manner that the engine is free to partake of any movements of the shaft due to Wear, means of course being provided to prevent the casing of the engine from rotating.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim isl. In a rotary engine, the combination with a chamber, of Va rotary piston-disk in said chamber, abutments for said disk, two pairs of ports on each side of the piston-disk, a valve for each pair of said ports, and means for rotating said valves simultaneously to reverse the engine, substantially as described.

ing said apertures and means for rotating said Y valves simultaneously to reverse the engine,

substantially as described.

'3. In a rotary engine, the combination with a chamber, ol' a rotary piston-disk in said chamber, abutments for said disk, two pairs of ports on each side of the piston-disk, a valve for each pair of said ports, each valve being provided with two apertures on opposite sides of the valve and in different transverse planes and an internal passage connecting said apertures, each of said apertures bcing adapted to register with one of the adjacent ports and means for simultaneously r0- tating said valves to reverse the engine, substantially as described.

4t. In a rotary engine, the combination with a chamber, of4 a rotary piston-disk in said chamber, abutments for said disk, two pairs of port-s on each side of the piston-disk, a valve for each pair of said ports, a pinion operatively connected with each of said valves, a pair of racks each engaging two of said pinions, an operating-lever and connections be-V tween said lever and said racks for imparting a simultaneous partial rotation to said valves, substantially as described.

5. In a rotary engine, the combination with a chamber, of a rotary piston-disk in said chamber, abutments for said disk, two pairs of ports on each side of the piston-disk, aV

valve for each pair of said ports, a pinion operatively connected with each of said valves, a pair of racks each engaging two of said pinions, a bell-crank lever connected to each of said racks, a link connecting said bell-V crank levers and means for operating one of said levers to simultaneously partially rotate all of said valves to reverse the engine, sub- Y for each adjacent chamber, and means forY operating said valves simultaneously to re- Y verse the engine, substantially as described.

7. A rotary engine provided with two cham- ICO IIOV

bers of different areas located side by side *Y on opposite sides and in different transverse 1o planes, and an internal passage connecting said apertures, and means forsirnultaneonsly rotating said valves to reverse the engine, substantially as described.

LOUIS LEGENDRE. Witnesses: i

JOHN E. BOUSFIELD, C. G. REDFERN. 

